Supplement
Capsicum carotenoids are the red pigments in peppers and paprika, mainly capsanthin and capsorubin, which act as antioxidants inside the plant. The best-studied finding is on antioxidant activity, where the evidence is very limited: in chemical tests, both pigments mopped up damaging free radicals and held up better than beta-carotene. Nearly all of this comes from lab and cell work, so how it translates to people is unknown.
Sources: PMID 11600036; PMID 17127019
- Updated
- How we grade
- 11 studies cited
- Best evidence
- Grade D
- Conditions studied
- 2
- Outcomes
- 5
- Graded outcomes
- 0005
Evidence by condition
- Strong
- Moderate
- Limited
- Very limited
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antioxidant Activity In cell-free and chemical oxidation assays, capsanthin and capsorubin demonstrate strong antioxidant activity, scavenging superoxide anion, hydroxyl radical, and singlet oxygen. Capsorubin shows greater oxidative stability than capsanthin, and both are markedly more resistant to free radical degradation than beta-carotene or yellow xanthophylls. A 2021 review confirms these carotenoids are detectable in human red blood cells after dietary paprika intake, though oral bioavailability from paprika oleoresin is low. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Moderate effect | 7 studies | |||
Studies that measured antioxidant activity
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General
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drug and Supplement Bioavailability Enhancement In cell-based transport models, capsicum carotenoids potently inhibit P-glycoprotein (P-gp), multidrug resistance-associated protein (MRP), and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) transporters. This suggests co-administration could increase absorption and reduce clearance of drugs and supplements that are substrates of these efflux pumps. However, a human study in 9 volunteers found very low oral bioavailability of capsanthin and capsorubin themselves from paprika oleoresin, which limits practical relevance. | Improves (the measure goes up) | Moderate effect | 5 studies | |||
Studies that measured drug and supplement bioavailability enhancement
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| Cancer Cell Drug Resistance Reversal In mouse lymphoma and human breast cancer cell lines, capsanthin and capsorubin enhanced rhodamine 123 accumulation 30-fold in multidrug-resistant cells, indicating potent reversal of P-glycoprotein-mediated drug efflux. Capsanthin also induced apoptosis in these cancer cell lines. These findings are strictly in vitro with no animal or human confirmation. | Changes; see studies | Large effect | 4 studies | |||
Studies that measured cancer cell drug resistance reversal | ||||||
| UV-Induced Skin DNA Damage In cultured human dermal fibroblasts, pretreatment with capsanthin or capsorubin significantly decreased DNA strand breaks following UVB exposure (0-300 mJ/cm2), counteracted UVB-induced cytotoxicity, and reduced caspase-3 cleavage (a marker of UV-triggered apoptosis). Photoprotective potency was comparable to lutein. No human clinical trials exist. | Improves (the measure goes down) | Moderate effect | 3 studies | |||
Studies that measured uv-induced skin dna damage | ||||||
| Grade | Outcome | Effect | Size | Studies | People | Studies list |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LDL Oxidation In vitro, paprika carotenoids efficiently suppressed copper-catalyzed oxidation of human blood LDL particles, inhibiting conjugated diene formation and blocking conversion of cholesterol into atherogenic products including 5,6-epoxycholesterol and 7-ketocholesterol. Also reduced formation of small dense LDL subfractions. No human intervention trials have tested this effect in vivo. | Improves (the measure goes down) | Moderate effect | 4 studies | |||
Studies that measured ldl oxidation
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Key findings
- Antioxidant ActivityImproves (the measure goes up)
- Drug and Supplement Bioavailability EnhancementImproves (the measure goes up)
- LDL OxidationImproves (the measure goes down)
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- Grade D
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Studies cited
11 studies from PubMed
- Biological Activities of Paprika Carotenoids, Capsanthin and Capsorubin
- Reaction of Paprika Carotenoids, Capsanthin and Capsorubin, with Reactive Oxygen Species
- Carotenoids exclusively synthesized in red pepper (capsanthin and capsorubin) protect human dermal fibroblasts against UVB induced DNA damage
- Capsanthin, the main carotenoid in paprika, inhibits P-glycoprotein-mediated transport
- Carotenoids inhibit multidrug resistance protein 1 (MRP1) and MRP2
- Modulation of multidrug resistance and apoptosis of cancer cells by selected carotenoids
- Inhibition of oxidation of human blood low density lipoproteins by carotenoids from paprika
- Incorporation of carotenoids from paprika oleoresin into human chylomicrons
- Degradation of non-esterified and esterified xanthophylls by free radicals
- Structure-reactivity relationship in the oxidation of carotenoid pigments of the pepper (Capsicum annuum L.)
- Characterization of capsanthin in Capsicum fruits